Costume & Garb

Weekend Warrior prides itself for creating an atmosphere of realism in a realm of fantasy. To this goal, we hold the whole community and anyone wishing to participate to a high standard when selecting Garb, Weapons, and Armor.

Armor and Weapons at Weekend Warrior

Here is a brief update and expansion on the armor rules! It includes some clarifications and additions for our upcoming event, so please take note!

General Costume Notes:

While each faction is governed by specific guidelines to be found on their faction page, here are some general guidelines:

All players are human, or human in appearance. Both males and females may be warriors.

Combatant and noncombatant ladies and lords may wear dresses or lordly garb in camp/to feasts, but all combatants must be in combat garb suitable for action sports for anything that involves intentional fighting (such as quests, the arena or battles).

All weapon types are open to all factions. There are no restrictive classes such as "archer" or "paladin".

As all players are human and living in a gritty and practical human world, the armor and weapons should reflect that. Nothing crazy, impractical or super high concept. Think, "if it would not fit on screen in Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings or the Middle Ages, then it is out of place".

You may look at Fell & Fair's Instagram/Facebook (@fellandfair) if you need reference and ideas.

Keep it gritty, keep it subdued, keep it mysterious.

Why are there restrictions on faction gear and clothing?

Our goal at Weekend Warrior is to provide an immersive and fun experience. Thus continuity in personal equipment is key in providing the visual backdrop of the event. Rules create restrictions, yes. But they also provide freedom and the ability to work with other people on a common basis. If you go to the movies, you would not expect to see 2 minutes of Lord of the Rings, 3 minutes of Peter Pan, 2 minutes of Star Wars and 5 minutes of Pirates of the Caribbean, that would be a mess. While those are all fun movies, seeing them all jumbled up and at once with no continuity or unifying theme would not allow you to lose yourself in the story and world of the film. Therefore, Weekend Warrior is working hard to deliver just one, really great story. If that is not what you are about, then there are plenty of other events out there!

Allowed Weapons:

All weapons and shields must be made by a professional manufacturer. No home-made, boffer or modified (except cosmetically) weapons allowed. Weapons must be of the foam-latex or foam injection-molded type.

Bows: The max allowable Draw-weight is 35# @28". All bows should be medieval-type or period appropreate bows. No modern or compound bows allows.

All arrows must be the IDV "low speed" or sponge-tipped type. Not sure if your arrows will work? You can purchase approved ones in our store.

All weapons must be visually approved via email (contact@fellandfair.com) and will be safety inspected before and throughout the event.

Allowed Armor:

While all armor must be in accordance with your faction guidelines, and approved beforehand for cosmetic purposes, in general the types of armor allowed: Steel Plate, Chainmail ( aluminum and steel), Leather, Lamellar (steel and leather) and Padded (such as gambesons). Plastic armor is not allowed.

The Purpose of Armor

Combat, and thus armor, is a very important part of any weekend warrior event. However the goal should never be to “tank yourself out” or attempt to make yourself invincible. The goal of armor should be to enhance your character and their ability to be effective in the story. If you put on so much armor you can't move, or cover any distance, than you have become ineffective. Armor should also help build your faction’s culture and story. Thus, sticking to the set guidelines and working within that to build your look is key to having a useful, effective and good-looking kit.

Each faction has their own unique culture, choice of fighting style, and armor preferences. All weapons and armor should be inspired by what was available in Western Europe from the 7th-14th Centuries. We do operate in a fantasy world allowing for things like the expanded use of leather armor and the use of fantasy-inspired armor. However this is a very limited allowance. The kingdom of Olaran, the land in which this Weekend Warrior event takes place, is a human founded and run kingdom and their armor is designed for practicality and use, not flash and show. If you have any questions or if you intend to purchase armor from an outside vendor, please feel free to send us an email with a picture of the armor at contact@fellandfair.com. Better to find out before you spend the money if it will be approved!

All of our rules for armor and combat have been carefully considered and debated. While we reserve the right to make adjustments for gameplay and safety reasons, this is our general guidebook. Our goal is to create a simple, and fluid combat system that does not require major split-second math, does not incur major debate on the field, and is safe for all players. We desire to give the most realistic combat experience with the understanding that we are using foam weapons and nobody is really dying.